Jordan Spieth’s season was expected to begin at Thursday’s Sony Open in Hawaii, but the 26-year-old will have to wait a few weeks to continue his comeback. Spieth hasn’t won a golf tournament since winning three in 2017, including the Open Championship.
The major championship winner has been mired in a slump for more than two years, and has been trying to fight through it. He played in three, full-field events in the beginning of the 2019-2020 season. His first of the season was in October at The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, where he finished eighth. His last two events, however, he finished tied for 66th and tied for 43rd.
Spieth has had struggles with both his putting and his long game. He seemed to have fixed the putting woes, but was still struggling off the tee. At the BMW Championship in August, he told reporters that he hopes this season is better than 2019.
“I didn’t do the job I needed to do the whole season in order to get myself in position,†Spieth said. “I only had like 10 FedExCup Points by May. Hopefully, this next season, I can get off to a better start and give myself a little house money to play with.â€
Spieth pulled out of the Sony Open, citing a cold, but is expected to play in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Jan. 23.
Koepka Returns From Knee Injury
Brooks Koepka, the No. 1 golfer in the World Golf Rankings, is also skipping the Sony Open. He’s planning a return at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship starting Jan. 16 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Koepka’s first tournament in the US will be at the Honda Classic on Feb. 24.
Koepka had been battling a partially torn patella in his left knee, and underwent stem cell treatment in August. He aggravated the knee when he slipped on wet concrete at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in October, and did not play the rest of the year.
The incident prevented him from playing in the Presidents Cup in December. His agent, Blake Smith, said in a statement that Koepka is ready to return to professional golf.
“Brooks’ rehab for his knee has gone great the past three months, and he has met all of his physical therapy goals,†Smith said. “He feels as good as he ever has, and is excited to tee it up next week.â€
Sony Open Odds, Pick
Seven of the past eight winners of the Sony Open played in Kapalua the week before. Last week, Justin Thomas won the Tournament of Champions there and, as a result, is the favorite this week at 6/1.
We, however, are going to buck the trend of picking a player who competed last week and, instead, go with Charles Howell III. Howell is an attractive 30/1 selection and has never missed a cut at the tournament. He also has 10 finishes in the top 10 at Waialae Country Club.